


I'm Here

by JazzGirl123



Series: A Drabble a Day Keeps the Doctor Away [13]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, This is literally a year late oh my god I am so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 22:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8507830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzGirl123/pseuds/JazzGirl123
Summary: 24. Returned from the Dead kissShe was a teenage girl who just saw one of her best friends disappear into thin air; did it matter if everything worked out in the end? She had seen death, and she couldn't just banter with him and disappear.In which Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn't so calm when Timebreaker takes away her partner.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally a year late; I suck at writing requests, oh my god.
> 
> I am so sorry everyone who's been waiting for an update...
> 
> But on the bright side; this was the last request in my inbox! Mhm, so no more updates for this series unless I get anymore requests or random drabble ideas. Thank you all for reading!
> 
> ^_^

The first time she met Alix, Marinette was swept off her feet.

No, really.

The pink-haired girl had accidentally knocked her down in the hallway while racing to her next class - on her skates, of course - and Marinette’s feet were up in the air as she crashed back against the lockers, her books and papers scattering in the air around her.

Alix had immediately stopped and apologized, and Marinette had murmured it was fine. Their clashing personalities didn't let them become instant best friends as they made up, like in some movie cliches, but they were on good terms.

When Marinette became Ladybug and came out of her shell, she grew closer not only to Alix but to all her classmates - with the exception of Chloe and Sabrina, naturally.

Alix and Marinette were friends.

.

_“Wow, six minutes in one go; must have been those nine lives!”_

Ladybug didn't think it was possible for her to actually hate someone; strongly dislike, yes; loathe, yes. Hate?

Hate was a strong word.

But it perfectly described how she felt for Alix - or rather, Timebreaker - in that moment; that single moment that had taken someone she cared so deeply about, someone she didn’t even know she cared that much about until he was gone.

It was _miraculous_ how calm and normal she seemed when she leaped back in time and teamed up with her past - other??? - self to restore the damage Hawkmoth’s latest victim had done.

Because as soon as she had returned Alix’s watch and Chat Noir began flirting with her, oblivious to the fate he had suffered in another timeline, she lost it.

She didn’t flirt back, didn’t banter with him or rush away before her transformation melted away.

No, Ladybug scooped him _like he weighed nothing_ and carried him far away from the school, ignoring his startled yelps.

“Whoa, Ladybug!” Chat Noir clung to her shoulders, terrified of being dropped. Sure, he could probably catch himself before he hit the pavement but that wasn’t really something he wanted to test out. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“No, I am not okay!”

Ladybug stopped on a roof and let him down. It was only then that he noticed how undone she seemed, how strands of hair had come loose from her twin tails, and how wide her blue eyes were as tears formed.

“Ladybug, what happened?” Chat asked, reaching out to her only to hear the beeping of her earrings. “Ladybug-”

“You stupid, stupid cat!”

Chat nearly fell back as his partner threw her arms around him, pulling him close to her. Well, that was new; Ladybug hardly initiated contact and pushed him away when he got too touchy for her comfort.

Still, he wondered what happened to make her this upset.

“Ladybug, hey,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here; tell me what happened.”

Sobbing, she shook her head.

“God...Chat...why would you die for me?” Ladybug pulled away, her eyes puffy and red.

“What are you talking about, my Lady?” Chat asked, gently wiping the tears from her face. He didn’t understand people who said ‘she was beautiful even when crying’ because he couldn’t imagine thinking about her beauty while she was so upset. “I’m here; I’m alive.”

“No...the other you,” murmured Ladybug, pushing his hands away to wipe her face herself. He let her. “In - In the past...where the first Timebreaker came from - and the other Ladybug - she was erasing Alya and Mylene and Rose and _everyone_ and she managed to get me down, and she was going to hit me when - when-”

Ladybug choked on another sob and Chat understood. He knew himself; he knew what he would do.

“When I got in the way and she hit me instead, right?” He said softly. Hearing it aloud made her cry harder and he reached over to squeeze her shoulder, his other hand tilting her chin up to make her look at him. “Ladybug...you know it had to be me, right? You’re the only one who can purify the akuma - it has to be you-”

“No! I can’t be Ladybug without you, Chat,” interrupted Ladybug, near hysterical. “You don’t have nine lives! You can’t throw yourself away like that for me - for anyone! I can’t lose you, Chat Noir…I can’t…”

She covered her face, body shaking as Chat watched her, unable to think of anything to say. The air was cold around them and the only thing more jarring than finding out you died in another timeline was the rapid beeping of Ladybug’s earrings.

“Oh...Ladybug-”

“I don’t care,” she says, still hiding behind her hands. “After everything...that’s the least of my worries. Just…please don’t be disappointed, okay?”

With that, her miraculous finally gave out and the transformation melted away.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood in front of him; her hands were still covering her face, but he recognized her instantly. He remembered how terrified and tense she had been when he arrived on the scene; that must have been her past self, the one who witnessed-

“Oh, my poor Princess,” murmured Chat as he moved to pull her back to his chest. “How could I be disappointed in you?”

Marinette couldn’t find it in her to speak so instead she leaned up and pressed her lips against his, catching him off guard. He certainly wasn’t expecting that.

“I love you - I love you so much it scares me, Chat Noir,” she murmured. “I-I don’t know if it’s because so much has happened but…”

“It’s okay,” he assured. “I would be all jumbled up if I went through what you did, Marinette.”

“...how do you know my name?”

“Oh.”

There was a blinding green light that made her grimace and suddenly she was no longer pressed against the cool leather of her partner’s suit. Marinette glanced up and she stared into green eyes too familiar to her.

“I’ll always put your safety first, my Lady, but...I promise to be more careful,” said Adrien, his hands on her shoulders. His cheeks were painted pink. “‘Um...hi. I’m - uh - Adrien? But you kinda already knew that…”

Marinette blinked before she laughed.

“Silly kitty.”

.

She screamed into her pillow later - and then took down all her posters lest he ever find out about them. No need to stroke the kitty’s ego.

But she was glad to have him. She didn’t want anyone else by her side.

_Fin._


End file.
